Govt targets Hajj charter flights bring Saudi tourists to Indonesia

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is seeking opportunities to fill the charter flights carrying Indonesian Hajj pilgrims to the Holy Land with Saudi tourists on their return trips.

"Our charter planes can also transport tourists, for example, from Saudi Arabia," Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said during a working meeting with Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives in Jakarta on Tuesday.

According to him, this initiative is part of efforts to strengthen the Hajj economic ecosystem.

Based on his data, the number of Saudi Arabian tourists visiting Indonesia is only around 120,000 per year.

Meanwhile, the number of Indonesians traveling to Saudi Arabia for the Umrah and Hajj pilgrimages reaches around three million annually.

"Therefore, we are encouraging the Ministry of Tourism to promote tourism in Saudi Arabia," Simanjuntak remarked.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the Ministry of Tourism have also formed a joint task force to ensure optimal promotion of Indonesian tourism in Saudi Arabia.

"Both ministries have agreed to negotiate and hold joint discussions with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Hajj this November," he stated.

In addition to tourism, he highlighted the urgency of strengthening the Hajj economic ecosystem in partnership with the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs and the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs.

Simanjuntak said they will jointly push for the drafting of a Presidential Regulation on the Hajj economic ecosystem.

"This will accommodate inter-institutional coordination to accelerate the Hajj economic ecosystem, particularly related to food, including the Hajj village planned to be led by Danantara," he continued.

He expressed hope that these initiatives would enable the Hajj–Umrah economy and tourism to generate broader value for Indonesians and the business community.